China Hits Back At Google Boss Hacking Claims

China's Foreign Ministry says "irresponsible talk" will not solve the problem of international hacking after media reports that Google chairman Eric Schmidt's upcoming book brands the country "the most sophisticated and prolific" hacker of foreign companies.

BEIJING, CHINA (REUTERS) - China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday (February 4) that "irresponsible talk" would not solve the problem of international hacking after media reports that Google chairman Eric Schmidt's upcoming book brands the country "the most sophisticated and prolific" hacker of foreign companies.

A report by the Wall Street Journal based on preliminary galleys of Schmidt's book "The New Digital Age" said that he accused China's government and its state companies of using cyber crime to gain a competitive advantage.In a regular news briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying saidChina was also a victim of international hacking attacks.

"In fact, online attacks are an international problem. It should be solved through constructive international cooperation based on mutual trust and respect. One-sided statements and irresponsible and misleading talk are not a means to resolving the issue," she said.

In 2010 Google relocated its Chinese search engine to Hong Kong after a spat with authorities over censorship and cyber-attacks that Google said originated in China.

Since then its service has worked in China only erratically, and is sometimes blocked altogether.

China came under fire last week when the New York Times and Wall Street Journalclaimed that Chinese hackers had persistently attacked their computers in recent months

The Chinese government has repeatedly said it opposes hacking and that China too suffers frequently from these kinds of attacks.